The Indianapolis Colts are going to make some changes this offseason. That might not have anything to do with the coaching staff or the front office, though many fans might wish that were so, but some player attrition is bound to happen. It does with every team, great or not.
For Indy, that could mean whether the team can re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce in free agency, but it probably means letting longtime starter at right tackle Braden Smith walk away. His age is a slight factor, but so is his price tag.
One can safely assume that Smith can make at least $15 million in free agency in 2026, but the Colts likely already have his replacement on the roster. Indy does not need to give Smith an expensive deal, as it already has Jalen Travis ready to step in.
Indianapolis Colts seem to be leaning toward not bringing back Braden Smith
Travis started three of the last four games at right tackle (in the other game, he started at left tackle, but starter Bernhard Raimann is not going anywhere soon), and in those RT starts, the rookie had just eight total pressures and only one sack. That was in 103 pass-block snaps.
If Colts fans needed any further proof that the team is looking at making Travis a full-time starter, general manager Chris Ballard supplied it during his season-end press conference on Thursday. The GM was asked about Braden Smith, and he went out of his way to mention Jalen Travis.
"I thought Braden played really good football, and was really proud of Braden for what he overcame a year ago and how he's handled himself," Chris Ballard said. "Unfortunately, he had an injury that ended his season, but we were really pleased with the way he played. Saying that, we were also really pleased in the way Travis played. We think he's got a lot of upside going forward... I can't tell you what's going to happen with Braden at the end of the day, but I will tell you we do like where Travis is and where he's going."
Smith has been Indianapolis's anchor at right tackle since the 2018 season. He has been quite good, so any change to Travis would still carry a risk. The Colts know what they will be getting from Smith, but they only have a small sample size of four games with him as a starter and another when he played significant snaps.
Of course, not re-signing Braden Smith means any money allocated for that can be turned to Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. Pierce and Jones would be more valuable long-term options to bring back to the Indianapolis Colts than Smith would be.